ABSTRACT
Professional airline pilots who fly passengers and cargo around the world are ultimately responsible for the safety of everyone on board the aircraft. They are an occupational group where intact cognitive function is essential because human error in the cockpit can have catastrophic consequences. Aircrew selection procedures include aptitude testing and computerised cognitive assessment to ensure high functioning, mentally capable pilots are selected for the job. However cognitive function may become compromised at any time during service by a number of factors including job-specific issues such as sleep disruption, fatigue and stress coupled with the fact that the incidence of various medical and neurological conditions which impair cognitive function increases with age (Hirtz et al., 2007). Therefore, it is important that appropriate and sensitive procedures are in place to identify pilots whose mental state may be deteriorating. In the UK, cognitive function is not routinely assessed following initial personnel selection, the assumption being that any cognitive problems that develop during a pilot’s career will be disclosed by the pilot during regular health checks and/or detected by aviation medical examiners (AMEs) or during line and simulator checks. The first part of this chapter will consider the validity of this assumption and how sensitive these procedures are likely to be at detecting cognitive impairment.
